Scribd signs up Macmillan

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I don't blame you but do me favor and let Scribd know why you wont be staying a member. You can send a email via the app. They seem not to care about tablet users. I am reading Scribd on my Volt. which is a phone. I've given up trying to read on a tablet.

I think Scribd is just terrible on a tablet. On a phone it's horrific. I guess you probably use smaller font sizes than this screen print?

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I am one of those who would sign up if the app was better. At least with Scribd, I can sample books without joining so I could get an idea of how the app works. Or actually doesn't.

With Oyster I can't even see what reading would look like without signing up.



What difference would getting a free 3 month sign up make? If the app is bad, I don't want it even if it's free.

For those who have tried the app and don't like it--none. But the point of doing the giveaway was for people who were interested in a subscription service and had NOT tried it or had tried it and wanted to add 3 free months. The response was so lukewarm, people weren't even asking many questions or clicking through to see what it was or browse the books. I did get one question about whether they had audio books or not.

I am not denying the app is not great. I do see enthusiasm for subscription services on various forums, but I think that enthusiasm is reserved for a subset of readers and it remains to be seen how popular they will be in the long term--bad app, good app or not. I usually see a subset of my blog subscribers enter every single giveaway I do (pot holders, bookbags, books, gift certs, etc). So far this was the least popular, as was a pair of earrings that I did last year. I try different things and some generate a great deal of interest and some don't.

I think the concept was met with a lukewarm response by they typical reader of my blog. Perhaps other blogs would see a different reaction!

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

For those who have tried the app and don't like it--none. But the point of doing the giveaway was for people who were interested in a subscription service and had NOT tried it or had tried it and wanted to add 3 free months. The response was so lukewarm, people weren't even asking many questions or clicking through to see what it was or browse the books. I did get one question about whether they had audio books or not.

I am not denying the app is not great. I do see enthusiasm for subscription services on various forums, but I think that enthusiasm is reserved for a subset of readers and it remains to be seen how popular they will be in the long term--bad app, good app or not. I usually see a subset of my blog subscribers enter every single giveaway I do (pot holders, bookbags, books, gift certs, etc). So far this was the least popular, as was a pair of earrings that I did last year. I try different things and some generate a great deal of interest and some don't.

I think the concept was met with a lukewarm response by they typical reader of my blog. Perhaps other blogs would see a different reaction!

The response could have been lukewarm because people had installed the app first just to see if they would be interested. For me I don't want a trial subscription if the app is bad because then if the app did improve I used up my trial already.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I think Scribd is just terrible on a tablet. On a phone it's horrific. I guess you probably use smaller font sizes than this screen print?

This is what it looks like for me on my LG Volt.

[Blossom]

This is what it looks like on my Kindle Fire 6.
It's even worse on a 7" tablet.

[Atunah]

I am still using the older version of the app on my Fire6 and my Nexus because of the margins. It works fine for me, just no audiobooks. But that is fine, I can always get those through my phone and stream them to the Echo now.

The margins are just too big and the hyphens give me the hives. I am not used to hyphens like that. So its 3.6.2 version for me. The last one before they brought on the big changes.

Downside is of course that on the Fire6, I don't have immersion mode with that version, which sucks. So its either immersion or margins. So I use the Nexus I guess now to read Scribd on. At least I have immersion with the older version.

[Joykins]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I found that good number of books by F&SF authors I like have been added to Scribd. They all seem to be the first in a series. I am guessing that they released these to hook readers who will then have to purchase the sequels elsewhere.

Scribd has got me hooked on several series this way. And yes, I've bought the recent releases, I have my books, the authors get their money, everyone's happy

And I see the new material includes some Lloyd Alexander, nom nom nom.

[Joykins]

I find the Scribd app appearance is good enough on my iPad Mini. It's...meh...OK on my dying iPhone but nothing really is great to read on a phone IME.

What I find frustrating about it is that a lot of times right after I start a book the app closes, I have to restart the app, and sometimes it doesn't remember what book I was reading although it DOES remember my place once I load the book again. SO ODD.

[Atunah]

That looks pretty good on the ipad mini then. I wonder if the app for the ithingies is just overall better designed? No clue as I only have android and fire devices.

I can't read on my phone though. Its got a fine display with high resolution, its a MotoG, but the screen is just to small. And even on the phone I find the margins to wide. I have the newest version on the phone in case I want an audiobook.

I also think that the larger a reader needs to have the font to read, the worse it gets with the display. Which would be annoying as many of us read ebooks partly so we can finally read the words again in the printed word. I know many paperbacks were just getting way to small font for me so ebooks were a saviour for my reading heart.

I checked and on my phone it looks exactly as the screenshot Blossom took. 16 lines of text is about what I would need to comfortably read the font. At least for now, who knows down the line.
Purple Lady needs a larger font that puts 12 lines of text and that looks really unreadable how it displays it. Do they only test this with very small fonts?

[Blossom]

I read on my Volt or Fire Phone even with other apps Like Moon+ I find it comfortable enough as the ppi is really good on both phones.

[danicca]

I can't seem to figure out search to see what books are on offer.Searching mcmillan gives me a bunch of samples (??). Is there list somewhere else?

[Atunah]

Here is how I search each publisher and get the listing by genre. Now mind you, I have a subscription so I don't know if the results of showing are different. On home page I type in "Macmillan publishers". Yes, with the quotes.

Then in the options you click books and make sure its subscription books only. One can also pick subscription and purchase books. On the left there is a drop down for genre. Pick what you want you get the results for that genre.

You can also go to MacMillan page so to speak. By starting to type macmillan in the search book it will display the search options and one will be the official macmillan logo. If you click that you can see all the books they have on Scribd. Unfortunately, it shows all the books, not just those in subscription, those for sale also. So that is why I use my first option to search within publishers for my genres. Just make sure to type the publisher name the same way they are listing it on Scribd and put the search in quotes.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Atunah

That looks pretty good on the ipad mini then. I wonder if the app for the ithingies is just overall better designed? No clue as I only have android and fire devices.

I can't read on my phone though. Its got a fine display with high resolution, its a MotoG, but the screen is just to small. And even on the phone I find the margins to wide. I have the newest version on the phone in case I want an audiobook.

I also think that the larger a reader needs to have the font to read, the worse it gets with the display. Which would be annoying as many of us read ebooks partly so we can finally read the words again in the printed word. I know many paperbacks were just getting way to small font for me so ebooks were a saviour for my reading heart.

I checked and on my phone it looks exactly as the screenshot Blossom took. 16 lines of text is about what I would need to comfortably read the font. At least for now, who knows down the line.
Purple Lady needs a larger font that puts 12 lines of text and that looks really unreadable how it displays it. Do they only test this with very small fonts?

That is the problem - I need larger fonts. The devs are all probably younger with perfect eyesight. That doesn't excuse the lack of options for margins, line height and justification though. Larger fonts only look good with left justification when you get to a certain size. I had to learn to appreciate left justification - I used to hate it, but I hate large gaps between words worse.

[Catlady]

I don't care about the e-books, but I am liking Scribd for the audiobooks. I'm in the final few weeks of the three-month free trial and may continue.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I don't care about the e-books, but I am liking Scribd for the audiobooks. I'm in the final few weeks of the three-month free trial and may continue.

That's pretty much how I feel, I use Scribd and KU both mostly for the audio books.